This feels like chapter 2, and I'm sorry if this sounds a bit "know it all" but some of you seemed to enjoy part 1 so I will give you my thoughts on layering, seeing as
@caberslash bought it up.
There are two things in his post I don't subscribe to - firstly that you don't need a waterproof shell (we don't live in the tropics) and secondly that cotton is a good mid layer fabric.
Water transmits body heat 30 times faster than air. Get wet next to skin and you will loose body heat at an unsustainable rate. Hence the importance of a waterproof outer layer and the ability to move sweat out of the system through a breathable membrane.
There are several schools of thought on next to skin and middle layers. The first is that you should never wear anything that will hold any moisture. This is why Polypropylene (0.04% moisture retention) and Polyester (0.2% moisture retention) are the two main fabrics used for underwear. These yarns ensure you're dry next to skin and any moisture/sweat is transmitted outward which allows the breathable membrane to do it's thing and get that moisture to the outside.
The other school of thought is a more old fashioned one and involves wool. Wool will normally retain 20% to 30% of it's own weight in moisture, so not great in theory. The bonus wool has is a feeling of warmth (for those who can wear it next to skin) and the lanolin gives it antimicrobial properties that prevent the build up of bacteria - smell. That absorption in wool also stops that clammy feeling when next to skin, soaking up any sweat on the surface of the skin and making you feel dry rather than clammy which you sometimes feel in Polyester or Polyprop. Many can't wear lambs wool next to skin, but most can wear merino.
Bacteria, mainly in urine (a component of sweat) will absorb its way into a yarn if it can and once absorbed is a bugger to get out. Remember the old nylon shirts - nylon absorbs 2% of it's own weight in water and bacteria once it got in was very difficult to get out without a boil wash - you used to put a "clean" shirt back on after a 40 degree wash and once your body heat had warmed up the bacteria again it immediately started to whiff. On the Polyesters and Polyprops most brands use an antimicrobial finish on the yarns to try to prevent this. Some work, some don't. All are eventually washed out.
I've done lots of trials sending one boat out on a 4 week leg in Polyester underwear with various antimicrobial finishes and another in merino. They will not change their underwear over that 4 week period (no washing facilities other than baby wipes) and the crew in the Polyester are always horrifically smelly when they get ashore and the whole boat has to be washed and aired before the shore crew will get on it. The crew in merino smell, but you can live with them for a few beers before they have to go and shower. I will happily wear one set of merino underwear for a week on the hill. Can't do that with any manmade fibre I have found yet.
So wool is a good alternative and has it's plus points, but it's heavy and that 20% to 30% absorption makes it even heavier, so I don't like it for heavy middle layer.
Cotton is the enemy. Never wear anything cotton on any layer, not even something with a cotton content. Cotton will absorb up to 100% of it's own weight in water, has no natural oils, sweat will be trapped by it rather than pass through it and you will be damp all day. When you stand still cotton will very quickly sap body heat and you will become cold. Don't even entertain a pair of cotton boxers.
The compromise I like - and it's very personal - is a 200 gram merino wool next to skin - everywhere, including socks and hat. Mid layer is polyester fleece, somewhere between 200 gram and 250 gram. Quite often the fleece will start the day in my back pack and be put on when I've got to the top of the hill. If there are no hills involved I start the day wearing it. If there's a high seat involved I might have a second 180 gram microfleece on as well. But the merino is always there. Layering gives you huge flexibility - like changing gear.
Many people don't appreciate that you can stay dry. You have to get your outer layer and middle layers right and it takes a bit of effort changing gear during a varied day (like taking your mid layer off for a long climb and putting it back on again at the top), but provided you are using the right garments and fabrics it's all possible - and life is much more comfortable and enjoyable as a result. I have met plenty of old stalkers over the years who are almost crippled with arthritis, much of it due to living in wet tweeds over a cotton shirt all winter, constantly putting up with it because that what you did back then. The world and clothing technology has thankfully moved on and we don't need to put ourselves through that anymore.
So the outer layer is just one part of the clothing jigsaw - no point in buying an expensive Gore Tex jacket if you layer up with cotton underneath it - it's just not going to make you happy. Getting your laying system right is key to being comfortable.
Not sure who said "theres no such thing as bad weather, just inadequate clothing" but they were right.
